Honda Displays ASV-3 Advanced Safety Vehicles at the North American International Auto Show

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is
displaying Honda's ASV-3 Advanced Safety Vehicles at the North American
International Auto Show in Detroit beginning January 15th. These vehicles are
equipped to exchange positional information with other vehicles using Inter-Vehicle
Communication technology, in order to facilitate accident avoidance.

Honda ASV-3 vehicles are equipped with several new advanced safety technologies
developed by Honda, including a system that uses cameras and radar to provide
drivers with information on approaching vehicles and obstacles in the road;
a system that offers driver support through steering and brake assist; and an
emergency response system designed to aid in rescue efforts in the event of
an accident. Honda plans to conduct further research and development of technologies
deployed in the ASV-3 research vehicles with a view to implementing them in mass production
vehicles.

Honda ASV-3 vehicles represent the culmination of five years of progress since
the introduction of the previous generation Honda ASV-2 safety technologies
in 2000. In addition to image recognition technology used to analyze images
captured by on-board cameras and radar technology used to detect obstacles in
the road, ASV-3 vehicles use inter-vehicle communication to ascertain the condition
and position of automobiles, motorcycles and pedestrians relative to each other-an
especially important capability in situations where cameras and radar alone
may be insufficient to gather such data. The system supports motorists'
decision-making by rapidly relaying information in a clear, easy-to-understand
fashion.

This includes audio and visual warnings for motorcycle riders and automobile
drivers, and simple tactile signals for drivers such as vibrating the brake
or accelerator pedal or applying torque to the steering wheel.

In addition to supporting driver perception, ASV-3 automobiles feature technologies
intended to help prevent accidents, and support systems to help drivers avoid
accidents by providing steering and brake assists when it is clear that the
driver's maneuvers will not be sufficient to avert an accident. Honda has also
developed a system that facilitates a speedy "mayday" response in
the event of an accident through the exchange of audio and video information
between the affected vehicle and an Operation Center, which can then facilitate
a rapid response. Honda has applied research on brain function to overcome the
fact that a motorcycle's size and shape can make it more difficult for a driver
to detect than an automobile. This led to the creation of new motorcycle design
concepts aimed at making motorcycles more visible to other motorists.

Honda places the highest priority on safety in the development of motor vehicles.
In addition to providing drivers with driver safety training in Japan, Honda
is proactively pursuing practical solutions in the areas of active safety-accident
avoidance; passive safety- minimizing injuries in the event of an accident,
and pre-crash safety-anticipating accidents and mitigating injuries when
a collision is unavoidable. Honda has participated in the Japanese Ministry
of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport-promoted Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV)
project since Phase 1 (April 1991- March 1996), and in that time has developed
and commercialized a number of advanced safety systems such as Honda Intelligent
Driver Support System, Collision Mitigation Brake System and Intelligent Night
Vision System. Honda ASV-3 technologies feature further advances in active safety
and pre-crash safety- progress toward the realization of Honda's
goal of achieving "Safety for Everyone" in the real world-for
motorcycles, automobiles and pedestrians alike.

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Additional media information about the ASV-3 Project can be found at http://world.honda.com/news/2005/.